A Laysan albatross on Eastern Island stands over her chick. Midway Atoll, and its member Eastern Island, is home to nearly two million birds each year including the world's largest colony of Laysan albatrosses. Almost 300,000 nesting pairs inhabit the island, but a great number of albatross chicks die each year due to ingesting flaking lead paint flaking from abandoned buildings and plastic pollution washing up on the beaches.